eGenius electric plane

[cowpatz]

No but just sponsored by them. Something makes me a little uneasy seeing that an 80 Hp engine is mounted on top of a fin and with a rear fuselage that slim.


A team from the University of Stuttgart has set a new milestone for electric aviation after averaging more than 100 mph for a little more than two hours. Not only did eGenius push the limits of speed and endurance for electric aviation, it did so with two people aboard.

The eGenius is essentially a motor glider with a high-aspect-ratio wing that spans more than 55 feet. A 60-kilowatt (80.5-horsepower) motor is mounted on the tail, allowing for a larger, more efficient propeller. Power is supplied by a 56-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The team didn’t say how much power it used during the flight, but said it still had juice in the pack upon landing.

Pilot and project leader Karl Kaeser took off with engineer Steffen Geinitz from their home base in Mindleheim, Germany. After climbing to 4,000 feet, the pair flew several laps between two nearby towns for a total of 211 miles.
Reproduced from Wired online magazine



Photo: Institute for Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart

[Ian Warren]

Build Solar Panels into the wings once cruising should increase his range

[cowpatz]

Wouldn't get far with solar panels in NZ these past few weeks Maybe a few wind powered generators on the wing tips to charge the battery!!

[Alfashark]

Much like this then Ian:


You can see the small dark patch behind the cockpit... Simple stick-on solar cells - In this case it's just for keeping the battery supplying the cockpit hardware topped up

What is catching on rapidly? Jet powered self-launchers... Simple, more compact than a traditional Solo 2-stroke or rotary + reduction gear with propeller and much much lighter.

[Ian Warren]

That,s the gen , won,t be to far away , better bit my lip , GA gos solar

But that jet is more me

[Charl]

Keeping the little battery topped up is neat, but I wonder what performance hit you take with the motor on the tail?
Batteries are monstrously heavy things, so a bit of solar film might help keep the weight down.

And the jet-assist??
What glide ratio are you down to, toting that bit of scrap iron around?
Surely nowhere near the 50-60 achievable in a modern glider...

[Alfashark]

QUOTE (Charl @ Jul 15 2011,8:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Keeping the little battery topped up is neat, but I wonder what performance hit you take with the motor on the tail?
Batteries are monstrously heavy things, so a bit of solar film might help keep the weight down.

And the jet-assist??
What glide ratio are you down to, toting that bit of scrap iron around?
Surely nowhere near the 50-60 achievable in a modern glider...

20kg of turbine vs 35-40kg for the normal 2-stroke setup... And yes, 50-60:1.
Once you've finished your climb, kill the fuel supply and retract it back into the fuse.

When you bear in mind that the average high performance glider can hold up to 200l of water ballast, that 20kg of scrap iron is effectively just 10% ballast that can't be dumped

[Chairman]

QUOTE (Alfashark @ Jul 15 2011,12:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

20kg of turbine vs 35-40kg for the normal 2-stroke setup... And yes, 50-60:1.
Once you've finished your climb, kill the fuel supply and retract it back into the fuse.

When you bear in mind that the average high performance glider can hold up to 200l of water ballast, that 20kg of scrap iron is effectively just 10% ballast that can't be dumped

Oooh, so 20kg of jet engine and 180 litres of jet fuel maybe ? That's my kind of glider !